Alright, so I had this old 2000 Ford Fiesta, the regular one, not even the Sport model. But I always liked the look of that Sport bumper. So, I figured, why not try to get one for my car? Let me tell you, it wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be.
Finding the Bumper
First off, I started looking everywhere for a “parachoque fiesta sport 2000.” Checked all the usual online spots, but no luck. Then I started calling up junkyards. Most of them didn’t even know what I was talking about, or they only had bumpers for newer models. It was a real pain.
Finally, after weeks of searching, I found a junkyard that said they might have one. I drove out there, fingers crossed. And there it was! A bit dusty and scratched, but it was the right bumper. I haggled a bit on the price, and ended up getting it for a pretty good deal.
Prepping the Bumper
Next step was getting this thing ready to put on my car. It had a few deep scratches, so I got some sandpaper and started smoothing those out. Took a while, but I got it looking pretty decent. Then I gave it a good cleaning with soap and water, let it dry, and put on a layer of primer.
- Sanding: Used various grits of sandpaper to get rid of scratches.
- Cleaning: Soap, water, and a good scrub.
- Priming: Applied a coat of automotive primer.
Painting
I wanted the bumper to match my car’s color, which was a kind of dark blue. Finding the exact paint color was another challenge. I went to a few auto parts stores, and finally found one that could mix up a custom batch. I bought a couple of cans of spray paint, some clear coat, and got to work.
I sprayed on a few thin coats of the blue paint, letting each coat dry completely before the next. It was a bit tricky to get an even finish with spray cans, but I took my time and it turned out okay. After the blue was dry, I added a couple of coats of clear coat to give it some shine and protection.
Putting it On
This was probably the hardest part. I had to remove my old bumper, which was attached with a bunch of bolts and clips. Some of them were rusted and hard to get off. But with a bit of elbow grease, and some help from a friend, I managed to get the old one off.
Putting the new bumper on was a bit of a puzzle. It didn’t quite line up perfectly, so I had to do some adjusting and wiggling to get it into place. Finally, after a lot of sweating and maybe a few choice words, I got it bolted on.
The Result
Honestly, it looked pretty good! It wasn’t a perfect job, but for a DIY project, I was happy with it. My old Fiesta looked a little bit cooler with that Sport bumper. It was a lot of work, but it was worth it in the end. Now my little car has a bit more personality, and I learned a bunch of stuff along the way.
If you are thinking to do the same, be ready to spend your weekends in looking for that bumper. If you are lucky enough, maybe you can find it in one day. Also, you need some tools to work on it and be ready for the challenge.
